The ancient Norman culture that was established in England after the Conquest of 1066 produced the name of Fere. It was given to a sociable person. It derives from the Middle English feare, which means comrade, or companion.

Fere Early Origins

The surname Fere was first found in Middlesex where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. They were originally descended from Vere from Manche in the arrondisement of Coutances in Normandy, and Aubrey de Vere was an undertenant in Kensington, Middlesex, and two places in Northampton.

Fere Spelling Variations

Fere Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Fear, Fere and others.

Fere Early History

Fere Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fere research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fere Early Notables (pre 1700)

Fere Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Fere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fere In Ireland

Fere In Ireland

Some of the Fere family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Fere or a variant listed above:

Fere Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Charles Fere, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1660 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Citations

Citations

^ Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Other References

Crozier, William Armstrong Edition. Crozier's General Armory A Registry of American Families Entitled to Coat Armor. New York: Fox, Duffield, 1904. Print.

The Fere Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Fere Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.